Multilingual Online Marketing: A Guide to Best Practice

© Kwintessential Ltd 2014
Multilingual
Online
Marketing:
A Guide to
Best Practice

: Do you market your
company/organisation online?
: Are you researching how to go
about online multilingual
marketing?
: Do you need some inspiration
on taking your marketing
efforts to the next level?
: Are you ready to go global?
: Always wanting to be useful, we have
penned these 8 best practice tips to help
you succeed in your online marketing
efforts:
1.Language
2.Culture
3.User Access
4.URLs
5.Comparability
6.Notification
7.Features
8.Outreach

This guide is useful for anyone looking for ideas on their global,
multilingual, online marketing plans

:: LANGUAGE
If you are serious about wanting to communicate with an emerging global market, you need to understand and research a
number of aspects with regards to the localisation of content. Perhaps the most important area is language.
Global communication is about providing content in languages other than the one in which the website, leaflet or
advertisement is originally written.
Most important of all is that the language used is linguistically correct, culturally referenced for the intended audience
and regionalisation and colloquialisms are considered and used appropriately.
: Multilingual or Bilingual Websites
There are a number of solutions to communicating online in more than one language, but one popular strategy used is a
multilingual or even bilingual website. This offers the user the choice to be able to read the content in their first language
or – as is often the case – the language in which they are used to reading website content. Many internet users are now
adjusting their language skills to be able to read global sites which are only provided in English. Whilst their speaking and
listening skills may not be as advanced, there are certainly now large groups of non-fluent English speakers who are
perfectly adept at reading sites written in English – because they’ve had to adapt to there being no other choice. A
bilingual site is often also used as a learning aid for those who want to be able to improve their comprehension skills; they

will compare the wording of the same site in the languages available to learn or improve by switching between the
different versions.
: Translation needs time, care and attention
When looking to create copy in another language, don’t ever assume that you can just use a word for word translation of
already written content. Online translation tools are not 100% effective and this can frustrate and alienate a user trying to
use the pages in their own language and find that they are only reading poorly translated paragraphs. This, in turn, can
prompt users to find another site as a poorly translated one really means that the site owner doesn’t respect the users
enough to provide content which is designed to be used by them.
: Write for your specific audience
Another aspect of writing in another language is to think about the market at which you are aiming. Even the best
translators may write in a style which is too formal for the audience and so research is needed when thinking about
commonly used colloquialisms.
When researching how to go about the language translation for a site, take some time to check out blogs, videos, games
and other websites to look at the terminology used in the chosen language. Talk to users about words which are in
common usage which may not appear in any dictionary and ask about any specific cultural references they feel are
important. This will increase the understanding of both the translators and the marketers about the linguistics of the
target groups.

: Regionalisation
Whilst localisation is the key objective of any content translation, there is a further step to take and that is the
consideration of language regionalisation. Spanish, for example, has a number of different dialects across the world and so
this needs to be covered. If the site is a global one, then a pan-Spanish version would be acceptable, but if it is for a very
particular market – Catalonia perhaps – then it would make more sense to translate into Catalan, a language which is very
fiercely promoted as being the first language of this part of Spain rather than Spanish.
Language is not just about words; it’s as much about nuances and popular culture as it is the sentences on the screen.
Always work with professional translators and put the needs of the audience at the top of the list of aims to achieve when
working on any language communication strategy.

:: Culture
Part of any online strategy for developing a cohesive communications plan with the objective of tapping into a foreign
market through the use of translated content is the issue of culture.
: What is culture?
Culture means the ideas, traditions, customs and beliefs of a particular society. Every community around the world has its
own culture and even within that culture there will be differences in relation to inter-generational experience and
expectations. Therefore, there is always a need to take on board the attitudes relevant to the country, the community and
the generation the marketing team are targeting. Using culture means using insight into the targets’ way of being to
better adapt your offering or service.
: Culture and localization
A major aspect of effective online communication is the recognition of cultural differences and references of the intended
target audience; it is vital that the requirement to understand different cultural perspectives is taken on board.
As well as looking into culture of the intended market, there is also the additional issue of multiculturalism within the
same nation. Whilst someone may be born in a particular country, their parents and previous generations may be from
another part of the world where there is a strong and ongoing cultural heritage and pride. This needs to be recognised as

being just as important as the overall cultural history and cultural media of the country as to ignore it will alienate users
because it is as much a part of their life in the country of their birth as the country of its origins.
When looking to launch a website and taking culture into consideration as part of the user experience, there are areas
which may not seem important to the designer, but will be of huge significance to the user. One of these areas is the use
of colour – and not because you want it to be pleasing to the eye. Different colours can also have cultural significance and
the innocent use of the wrong colour as part of the overall design can have disastrous effects on your traffic. Whilst black
is seen as the symbol of death in the Western world, this is not the same in the Far East where white denotes someone
who has died. Red means danger in America and Europe, but in India it is the recognised symbol for purity. Use orange in
Ireland and you are associating your page with the religious connotations for the Protestants rather than the thoughts of
Halloween and autumn in many other parts of the world.
These differences don’t mean that every local site needs to be designed with a different colour scheme; it just means that
there is need for awareness.
Graphics and images can have different significance in different countries because of their cultural values. Conservative
cultures in particular may be offended by the sight of women dressed in a certain way and so it is important to really
consider the images to be used. Also, think about whether there are graphics which may divisively relate to age, gender or
religion.
Anyone who is looking at the localisation of their website needs to connect culturally in the same way that there is a need
for the correct use of language. Cultural values can be related to family, language, history or heritage and so you need to

first understand how and why culture affects your online users. It’s also important to remember that online and offline
cultural references could be different; a young internet user could behave very differently online in comparison to their
more traditional attitude offline when with their family.
: How to understand the culture of your audience
The best way to understand the culture of the audience when building an online marketing strategy is to undertake
market research. It’s important to ask about the degree in which culture plays a role and so, in turn, you can make an
effective emotional connection with the user. Only by doing this can you learn and gain a true cultural insight into what is
important for those you want to communicate with.
Once you have undertaken research and integrated all the necessary cultural references and made the changes necessary
to existing pages, don’t rest on your laurels. Culture changes all the time and even within the space of one generation
traditions can change, so ensure that you plan ahead and look to revisit your online strategy on an annual basis. This will
ensure that you are still making the same connections with your users and that you don’t have to make alterations due to
major cultural changes due to political, media or religious shifts.

:: User access
After taking the time to create a website in different languages and researching the necessary cultural references to
ensure the best user experience possible, simply uploading the site will not bring the traffic you desire nor provide the
facility you have worked hard to create.
Access to a website in a different language to your global site should be easy and straightforward for the user to find and
the three areas to cover to ensure this are:
• Linking from the mother site
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Online and offline marketing
: Linking from the mother site
Clear navigational access from the mother site (i.e. the original or global gateway website) is a must to ensure that visitors
who want to read about your products or services can do so in the language you have promoted it in. The best way to do
this is to use a link at the top right of the page to point to versions in other languages. The top right hand corner of a
website is the usual place to insert the links and to ensure the language choices can be understood, either using a country

flag (being careful if the language spans more than one country) or the name of the language itself. As an example, for
Spanish, you would write español.
: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
To raise awareness and to facilitate visitor access, an SEO strategy must sit alongside the language element of a
localisation plan. This is the job for the marketing team and will include building natural links, creating language-relevant
content and utilising tech-assisted content creation such as the opportunity for visitors to leave testimonials. If the site is
being launched in another country, consideration could be given as to whether it is worth the investment to buy a
country-specific top level domain which will give the alternative language site its own URL and therefore the opportunity
to market it on the search engines of the target market. If this is seen as a viable concept, it is an element to plan at the
outset of the strategy to ensure the required domain name is available. It is important that everyone is aware that there
are no quick fixes with SEO; it takes time to really make any kind of impact on page rankings and is a continually evolving
element due to how the search engines themselves operate.
: Online and offline marketing
To promote an alternative language website there are a whole raft of marketing tools which can be utilised. These include
the use of social media, natural link building and content marketing. The use of content marketing is important as it builds
a relationship of trust and respect between the user and the company and will include creating blog content, making
videos, building social media profiles and establishing involvement in industry forums.

Offline marketing can help to promote the availability of the site in other languages through above the line advertising and
below the line PR.
: Traffic
To know if users are accessing the site and how they are reaching the pages, there is the need to track the traffic. This is
possible through a number of ways, with the place to start being the Google Webmaster Tools. This will give an insight
through detailed reports, index statuses and be able to optimise the visibility of the site.
A great deal of work goes into the creation of any website so it is important that it is then accessible – for both the team
who have developed the site and to fulfil the needs of the end user.

::URLs
Creating a website in an alternative language means that it will need to have its own web address – also known as a URL.
Every website in the world has a unique URL and even if the site is an identical version to a global website yet purely in a
different language, it will still have a different URL to some degree.
There are a number of options available when creating a translated website with regards to the URL and these are
dependent on budget, marketing activity and SEO requirements.
: Standalone URL
To give a website a dedicated URL will mean that the site has the name of the company itself. This will mean that users
will automatically know where they are visiting from the name itself. However, because the global site will already have a
URL with its name included in it such as www.example.com , the solution would be to look to buy a top level domain for
the country you are looking to market in. This could be .pt for Portugal or .es for Spain and also be a specific site to have
dedicated SEO activity. This would mean your Portuguese site would have the URL. www.example.pt.
: Unbranded URL
The next option would be to have a URL which is standalone but does not include the name of the company in any way.
This would mean that although the site would have a specific and easy to remember address, the user would not know

that it was related to the global site until they visited. Whilst this is helpful with regards to an easy to use URL in terms of a
visual indicator, it requires a great deal of extra brand awareness for there to be a link made between the two sites.
: Sub domain
It’s not always necessary that you automatically consider registering a new address for your translated language site. This
has financial implications and there is a more cost effective solution. Using a sub domain means that the site is hosted as a
sub domain of the global site, in effect an easy way in which you can create a web address which is relevant and
memorable for the newly developed areas of the site. This would mean if your global site was called www.example.com,
your Portuguese version would be called www.portugal.example.com.
: Subfolders
If your web host does not offer subdomains and you don’t have the budget to look to register a unique domain name, the
easiest option is to use subfolders. A subfolder would be part of your global site content folders so for your Portuguese
language version, the homepage of this site would be www.example.com/portugal. Whilst this certainly gives you the
opportunity to have sites in as many languages as required – just set up a subfolder for each language – it may not make
the users feel that they are being cared about enough as they are just an offshoot of the main site.

: Best Practice Recommendations
The use of a country specific top level domain is the best solution to give the site language specific identity and to be able
to drive traffic through country relevant SEO, so if budget allows, this would be the optimum way to drive traffic and raise
the profile of the company to the target market. It’s also the best way to tie in natural offline marketing strategies as it can
easily be included in printed material and on the radio and television.
Search engines prefer to see dedicated URLs being used and using one which is country specific alongside SEO activity will
be favoured by Google when it comes to page ranking algorithms as opposed to the use of subdomains and subfolders.

:: Comparability
When working on the development of any alternative language website, the issues of comparability and maintenance
should be part of the overall strategy and brought into play at discussion level at the very outset of the project.
Comparability and maintenance go hand in hand even if at first they may seem very different areas of work; they need
however to be viewed as intrinsically connected and are an important part of the ongoing success of the site.
: User comparability
Comparability within web development means the comparison of the same site with content in different languages. Even
if the user does not speak the language of the global site – English perhaps – there is every possibility they will switch
between the two to compare. The reason this happens is because those who speak some English will want to find out if
they are being offered the same generic information, which information is specific to their own language site, it helps to
improve their English reading and comprehension skills and within a family with bilingual skills they may be looking at the
site at the same time and so need different versions.
As the users switch between the sites, they will judge your organisation/company and how you perceive their worth as a
user based on their experience in their own language. The areas to look at when developing comparability are the visual

aspects of the design, the features on one or both sites, the ease of navigation, the quality of the content and the decision
made on the URL strategy.
Providing the best user experience certainly does not mean having absolute identical copies of a site. In fact, this should
be avoided as the cultural references of the global site will probably not transfer well to the other. It’s about the user
feeling that they are of equal value as a visitor to the site and they themselves will be appreciative of the time taken to
ensure the language is correct, that any colloquialisms and regionalisation issues have been addressed, that cultural
traditions have been respected and that they can feel that they can ‘own’ the site through the URL address being
associated with their own nation. A good way to cover achieving all these elements is through market research and then
to carry out usability testing before launch and ironing out any highlighted issues.
Launching a translated website doesn’t mean it has to be ready from day one. Whilst there is a great deal of forward
planning which must take place – the URL strategy for example, the new site can naturally evolve over time and with
feedback from users. As long as the experience is a positive one from the start, visitors will be happy to see the site
expand organically.
Comparability is important when developing a high quality website and this is where the interconnectivity with
maintenance comes to the fore. A maintenance plan which is developed and implemented prior to launch means that the
two can then work together to improve the user experience over the weeks and months to come.

: Maintenance
A successful website has a combination of new and return visitors and maintenance ensure that long term value can be
delivered to both audiences. With the early implementation of the maintenance plan, updates to content, changes to the
technology requirements, the improving of features and general functionality can successfully be incorporated. Both sites
must be kept at the same level of development in conjunction with online and offline marketing activities so that one site
does not lose its comparability.
Short and long term success of both the global and alternative language sites depend on comparability and maintenance
working in synch with each other. Achieving this means that a number of essential elements of delivering the high quality
user value desired will be successfully covered and, in turn, will keep users loyal.

:: Notification
As discussed above under Comparability and Maintenance, the development of a website in a different language can take
time and also there is no need for it to be ready on the first day. There is also the issue of ongoing maintenance for the
addition of new content or for the need for site downtime to enable larger scale technical updates to take place.
Part of the overall plan for a website should include a rollout strategy. This would include a number of set phases of
work to be in place within certain milestones and there to be accompanying benchmarks to gauge user experience and
gather feedback in time for the next rollout phase to begin.
When there are known periods of time that part or all of the site may be inaccessible, it is important to keep users up to
date with planned site maintenance.
The main reasons that user notification is necessary are:
• When their own language site will be available in English only
• When they will access their homepage to find a link which redirects them to the global site for a set period of time
• When there will be no access to the site at all
• When there will be a need to download third party software

When there are planned maintenance sessions set to take place, ensure that plenty of notice is given with a date and time
where possible. This gives those users who can speak English the opportunity to know that they need to switch to the
English version or to expect the site to be in English only and to be able to carry on browsing. For those who do not speak
English, this means they will have no access at all during downtime and to ensure you do not lose them as customers or
visitors, it is important that lack of access is as small an amount of time as absolutely necessary.
: How to notify users
Notifications can be made either as a pop-up or as on-page information.
The use of a pop-up is a very popular way to convey information. When the user enters the site, they will see a pop-up
informing them of the current situation and give – where possible – a link to an English version or a re-direction to the
global site if this is the only available option.
In-page notification means that those with pop-up blockers will see the notices about site maintenance and will also mean
that visitors who don’t like pop-ups are not annoyed or frustrated.
: Software download
There may be times when users need to download third-party software to be able to access certain elements of a website.
These are usually Adobe Acrobat or Flash and links should always be to the recognised official provider of the country for
which the site is designed. This helps users to learn about tools needed to browse the internet and means that the site
developers can add more sophisticated apps and features over time.

Whichever kind of notification is chosen, advance notice is the important issue so user experience continues to be as
positive as possible. Notification also gives a straightforward and cost effective way of carrying out site development and
at the same time have an insight into the profile of their users. This is because it will be possible through traffic reports to
track how many have carried on using the English-only areas of the site or have delayed their return until the site is fully
functioning again in their own language.

:: Features
Every website will have its own particular features, apps or functionality. Some may be industry specific, content
marketing related or to enhance the overall user experience. Some examples of site functionality include the shopping
basket on a retail site, the booking engine on a hotel comparison site or the size search for a clothing store.
Part of the overall site development strategy for your site – regardless of the number of languages it is required in – is
the planning of the features required.
It’s important to look at the technical requirements, the cost, time and resources needed to implement and manage. It’s
also about working with the maintenance strategy to tie in the launch of the features if they are not available in all
languages from the first launch date. Once an availability date has been announced, users and visitors can be informed
through the notification process outlined previously.
One feature which may not be immediately available on your translated website may be financial services such as paying
for goods and services in a different currency or it not being possible for items to be shipped outside the country of
purchase as areas such as postage costs or delivery carriers have not been arranged. It doesn’t matter what the features
are though, if they are not yet available on the alternative language site, notification is key.

: Functions with translation requirements
As well as core functions with regards to the overall site industry and offering, there are a number of other elements of
usability to ensure functions are made available in the chosen languages. This could include an on-page print button or a
link to follow to send an email to someone at the company. Whilst this could be covered with the use of internationally
recognised symbols of a printer or the ‘@’ sign, it’s just as important to check that functions don’t slip through the net
when being proofed for correct translation.
Many sites have their own inbuilt search facility and so – at the site development stage – care should be given that the
search function can operate in all required languages. If possible, it should have a spell check function so if an error is
made, the search engine will look for similarly spelled items rather than returning a page displaying ‘no results’. This is
particularly important for people who are learning a new language – expats for example who may know the verbal
pronunciation of a word but are unsure of how to spell it.
Technical and financial barriers can often affect the availability and breadth of features and functionality so where there
are gaps, visitor should be notified as soon as possible so they do not end up frustrated. An example of this would be to
offer the feature of online shopping but to then reach the checkout phase and discover there is no postage facility to their
chosen country which will be met with great annoyance due to the amount of time wasted.
Creating functions are part of any website design and need to be accessible by all; even more so is a need for visitors to a
site in a different language to be provided with functions which can be fully utilised and have as much equality of site
interaction as those using it in the first language provided.

: Operations and offline marketing
The use and boundaries of technology are constantly changing and so, in turn, marketing is changing its methods in order
to provide a response and to continue to communicate with its audience. A globally integrated marketing communications
strategy is required in order to offer a streamlined business function both on and offline.
For marketing to be integrated, there is a requirement for all areas of the marketing function to be fully synchronised.
Creating a unified on and offline marketing offering means that success will be achieved through the integration of the
ways of reaching out to the external consumer and that there is also the need to recognise that the organisation is ready
internally to operate to meet the needs of those using the websites offered in other languages. The marketing team need
to know who their audience now is with the addition of customers who speak and use a different language and this needs
to be integrated with the internal operations of the business to achieve the most value from the multi-language initiative.
: Integrated marketing
Many people who do not speak English as a first language still see, hear and read some words and phrases in this language
because of the changes in media culture. As new universal words are introduced, there is the likelihood that they will be
English and so this needs to be taking into consideration when developing integrated marketing campaigns. Even if the
users have French, Spanish or Italian as their first language, they will be aware of some English through popular music and
global advertising – straplines for cars for example are often in English the world over.
Online initiatives such as website offers and competitions need to be developed at the same time as offline campaigns
such as in-country above the line print and radio advertising. It’s important to think about where the offline campaign

reaches in relation to your target audience and that consistent messages are delivered across the different marketing
channels. Marketing and maintenance must work together so content matches the campaign.
: Operational alignment
Aligning online and offline activity in relation to the users of your alternative language site is vital; if this does not happen,
those customers will feel that they are not deemed as important as those who speak the language of your global site.
Additionally, it’s important that all staff who may have any kind of interaction with your non-English speaking audience
are fully trained and aware of their role. This is particularly acute for those who work in a customer service role or take
orders by telephone – there is a need for staff to have fluency in all languages in which you are offering your site. If there
are shops they can visit on the high street, is there someone who is on hand to speak to them in Portuguese, Spanish,
Italian or Hindi if this is the written language of your site? If the staff are not ready to support online alternative language
sites when contacted, this will affect the experience of the customer in a very negative manner. The solution is to ensure
staff are trained, that new employees have the required language skills and if there are communication gaps then they are
communicated through notification on the website.
Marketing and operational efficiency go hand in hand and as long as they develop an interconnected relationship, the
experience of the site visitor will blossom and the level of loyalty will grow.

:: Outreach
Online marketing campaigns for websites in other languages need to be appropriate, targeted and geared towards
recognising accessibility.
Those who are developing marketing campaigns to a multilingual market need to think laterally about how best to
serve all those audiences they are targeting.
Marketing is about generating a return and if alternative languages are not catered for, the lack of return of investment
from these market sectors will quickly be noticed and, in turn, the customers who are utilising the offering will feel
neglected. Those who are developing campaigns need to consider the different ways to reach their audience and the
tactics to consider.
: Social media marketing
Social media campaigns are a huge part of any strategy. Building relationships with online communities and offering
consistent engagement in the languages of the additional websites really does produce results in increased brand
awareness, loyalty and positive feedback. The use of social media is also cost effective and a good way to spread high
quality content marketing messages.

: Mobile Marketing
With the prevalent use of smartphones, mobile marketing is now a way to reach existing and potential customers at any
time through targeted advertising on their mobile.
: Content marketing
Creating natural links and using high quality content as part of online marketing strategies are now key to a successful SEO
campaign. The creation of content in other languages helps with the raising of customer loyalty, particularly when the
content forms part of the site information, blog or advice.
: IP Targeting
IP targeting is a way to advertise by using the IP address of the computer to deliver targeted marketing. Every IP address is
unique and is traced to a country of origin and so it is possible to build a strategy around delivering messages in the
language of the site visitor.
: Behavioural targeted marketing
Cookie technology is the key to the use of behavioural marketing. A visitor to a site in an alternative language will be
picked up by the cookie as showing ‘behaviour’ of another language. These users can then be identified and presented
with targeted advertising in their own language when they visit sites which are in English.

:: Useful?
If you found this useful, we would love to hear from you! Get in touch through any of our social media channels below. Just click the icon and you’ll be
taken away!
Or email the team on info@kwintessential.co.uk
:: Who are we?
Kwintessential are a boutique localization and translation agency based in the UK.
We specialise in the online and digital space helping our clients go global through services such as Website Localization, Foreign Language Copywriting,
Localization Testing and many others. In short, we are a one-stop-shop for anything language related within business – online and offline.
Visit our website www.kwintessential.co.uk for more information on how we can help you!

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